dimmick



(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1. A M DIMMIGK STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented June 8,1897.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

Patented June 8,1897.

(No Model.)

A. M. DIMMIGK. STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFTCEI ALBERT M. DIMMICK, OF lVILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF NINE-TENTIIS TO THE KEYSTONE SWITCH COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,985, dated June 8, 1897.

Application filed April 24, 1896.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT M. DIMMICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful StreetRailway Switch, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to switch mechanism adapted for use in connection with street-railways, and has for its object to provide asimple and efficient arrangement of parts whereby the switch may be adjusted from a moving car approaching an intersection of two tracks.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims,

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trackintersection, showing the switch mechanism embodying my invention and including car mechanism arranged upon the front end of a car traversing the main 2 5 track. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section through the car and track mechanisms. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the track mechanism, showing the same in operative relation with the track-rails. Fig. at is a detail view of one of the treads and contiguous parts. Fig. 5 is a detail. vertical section of the car mechanism.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the main-track rails, 2 the branch and side track rails, and 3 the pivotal switch-rail or tongue, which is mounted at the intersection of the inner main and side track rails and is adapted to be alined with either. Parallel with the main-track rails are the inner and outer guard-rails 4 and 5,

of which the latter is extended to form the outer sidetrack guard-rail 7, and a similar guard-rail 6 is provided for the inner sidetrack rail.

Mounted in the horizontal flanges of the main-track rails remote from the switch-rail are pivotal treads 8 and 9, operating in slots, which are extended .to form inclined grooves 10, eonnnunicating with the slots. The treads Serial No. 588,915. (No model.)

are provided with lateral stop-ears 11 to limit their upward movement and thereby prevent their upper surfaces from extending an objectionable distance above the plane of the horizontal flanges of the rails, and the free ends of the treads are connected to chains 12, traversing vertical and horizontal direction pulleys 13 and 14, located contiguous to the inner sides of the main track rails. The rails are connected beneath the road-bed by trans- 6o verse bars 15, which serve to form intervening boxes for the reception of the track mechanism, the box or space contiguous to the treads being accessible through a manhole, provided with a cover 16. The intermediate 6 portions of the chain extend through tubular shields or guides 17 and the extremities of the chains are attached to the short arm of a horizontal operating-lever 18, mounted upon a vertical spindle 19, depending from a crossbar 20 under the manhole-cover 21.

Attached to the switch-rail or tongue at a point contiguous to its pivot is the upturned outer extremity of a slide-rod 22, said extremity operating in a transverse slot 23 in the road-bed, and the depending inner extremity of said slide-rod is provided with an eye 24, in which is fitted the extremity of the long arm of the lever 18. Inasmuch as the sliderod is attached to the switch-rail near its piv- 8o otal point and the chains are attached to the short arm of the lever 18, it will be seen that a slight movement of one of the treads serves to throw the switch-rail positively from one position to the other.

The car mechanism consists of pressure wheels or rollers 25, carried by verticallymovable stems 26, operating in sleeves or guides 27 and provided with retracting or elevating springs 28, together with operatinglevers 29, fulcrunied in transversely-alined bearings upon the carand provided withhandle portions 30 and rearwardly-extending arms 31, which project into the guides and are attached to the stems of the pressure- 5 wheels. When the handle of a lever is drawn rearwardly, it depresses the wheel attached thereto and brings it into operative contact with the tread at one side of the track, thus communicating motion through the interme- I00 diate connections to the slide-bar and moving the latter in one direction or the other to shift the switch-rail.

From the above description it will be seen that the mechanism is simple and at the same time is accessible at all points for repairs without being exposed to contact with the soil or paving material.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A switclrrail-operating mechanism having slotted track-rails, a rocking lever operatively connected with the switch-rail, pivotal treads mounted in said slots and norm ally arranged flush at their upper edges with the upper surfaces of the rails, cables connecting the treads with said rocking lever, and direction-pulleys traversed by the cables and arranged contiguous to the free ends of the treads and above the plane of the points of connection of the cables with the treads, whereby the treads are returned to their norlnalpositions by the tension of the cables, substantially as specified.

2. A switch-railed operating mechauism,ineluding track-rails provided with longitudinal slots and communicating grooves having floors which decline toward the slots, a rocking lever having one arm connected with the switch-rail, pivotal treads mounted in said slots with their upper surfaces normally flush with the rails and adapted to be depressed to bring the upper surfaces of their free ends flush with the contiguous portions of the floors of said grooves, cables respectively connecting the treads with the other arm of said lever and traversing directionpulleys, and tubular shields or guides arranged longitudinally beneath the rails to receive the intermediate portions of the cables, substantially as specified.

3. A switch-rail-operating mechanism having slotted track-rails and communicating grooves, a rocking-lever operativelyconnect ed with a switch-rail, pivotal treads mounted in said slots and provided with lateral ears to limit their upward movement by contact with the under surfaces of the rails, said treads being normally flush at their upper edges with the upper surfaces of the rails, cables conmeeting the treads with said rocking lever, and direction pulleys 13 traversed by the cables contiguous to the free ends of the treads and arranged above the plane of the point of connection of the cable with the tread, whereby the treads are returned to their normal positions by the tension of the cables, the floors of said grooves declining toward the slots whereby when a tread is depressed the upper surface adjacent to its free end is flush with the contiguous portion of the floor of the groove, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT M. DIMMICK.

\Vi tnesses:

GEORGE B. HILLMAN, LOREN M. LUKE. 

